PROGRAMME

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ABOUT FESTIVAL

INTRODUCING THE GOLDEN ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Cyprus is preparing to play host to the launch of a new annual event, the Golden Island International Film Festival (GIIFF), in November 2014. It will include fiction and documentary films, both short and feature length, from countries around the world.

GIIFF will showcase a selection of quality Cypriot produced films. Some of these will be competing for cash prizes of EUR 2,000 for the Best Short Fiction work (up to 20 minutes) and the Best Documentary (any length), as well as individual prizes of EUR 2,000 for the Best Newcomers in each of these categories.

Each year, GIIFF will also pay tribute to an influential figure in the film World, presenting them with an honorary award during the Festival.

Cyprus’ new annual film festival is being supported by a number of well-known European festivals, enabling GIIFF to show contemporary international films in specific strands. In this first year, there will be five such strands: UK Cinema, Human Rights, Women, the Environment, and “Journeys” (both emotional and physical).

GIIFF is organised jointly by UK-based charity Balık Arts and Golden Island Culture and Arts Foundation partnership with support and sponsorship from Creditwest Bank. This new creative arts foundation has been formed in North Cyprus by the Altınbaş Group shareholders and employees. Yeşim Güzelpınar of Balık Arts is the founder of the festival. GIIFF is honoured to have Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece and actor Tamer Hassan as its patrons.

JURY

JURY OF GOLDEN ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Ercan Özkan

Juror

Ercan Özkan is a graduate of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, with a degree in Cinema and TV Studies. Having launched his 26 year long career in cinema as a camera assistant and focus puller, he has been working as a director of cinematography since 2006. Ercan has worked with various major directors of cinematography such as Colin Mournier and Ferenc Pap and has received the following awards: Best Cinematography at 16th Adana Golden Boll Film Festival with Haze (dir. Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, 2009); at 47th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival for Hair (dir. Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, 2010) nd for Toll Booth (dir. Tolga Karaçelik, 2010); and at 3rd Antalya TV Awards in 2011 with his work at Muhteşem Yüzyıl (The Magnificent Century) (dir. Yağmur & Durul Taylan).

Dr. Eylem Atakav

Juror

Dr Eylem Atakav is Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at the University of East Anglia where she teaches courses on women and film; women, Islam and media; and Middle Eastern media.

Eylem’s particular interests lie in Middle Eastern film and television, representation of ‘honour’ crimes in the media, and women’s cinema. She writes frequently on issues around gender and culture for the Huffington Post and for her co-authored blog on women’s cinema: Auteuse Theories. Eylem
is the author of Women and Turkish Cinema: Gender Politics, Cultural Identity and Representation (2012) and the editor of the Directory of World Cinema: Turkey (Intellect, 2013).

Nusret Altınbaş

Juror

Nusret Altınbaş spent his formative years in Cyprus, moving there with his family in 1984 where he finished his schooling. He left the island in 1992 for Germany, where he lived and worked for a time. Returning to Turkey, he took up a management role within his family business and was appointed a member of the board of directors at Altınbaş Holding in 1998. He is now the Holding company’s vice president, and since 2009 the president of the board of directors at Onsa Jewellery and Assos Jewellery, and as headed the Creditwest board since 2013.

In addition to his active business life, he is an eager sports enthusiast: he regularly takes part in worldwide amateur cycling events and is a marathon runner. He also has an interest in sailing and swimming, and is a member of congress at Beşiktaş Sports Club.

Having lived in North Cyprus during a critical phase in its history, Altınbaş feels a close affinity to the Turkish Cypriot people. He follows political developments on the island and is keen to support the social, commercial and cultural advancement of Cypriots.

Murat Obenler

Juror

Murat Obenler was born in 1975 in Nicosia, Cyprus. He graduated from Eastern Mediterranean University with a degree in International Relations before going on to be active in the media. Murat is currently the Arts, Culture and Lifestyle correspondent for Kıbrıs Gazetesi (The Cyprus Newspaper). Recent work has seen Murat focus on film journalism and for the last seven years he has attended various international film festivals in this role. Murat was instrumental in the organising committees of both the “Cyprus Festival of European Films” between 2003-2007 in Northern Cyprus and the “Northern Cyprus Turkish Film Days” in 2010 and 2012.

Levent Arslan

Juror

Levent Arslan studied at Ankara University in the Faculty of Language, Literature and Theatre. There he learned from Turgut Özakman, Metin And, Sevda Sener, Ergin Orbey and Nurhan Karadag. Graduating as a director and dramatist Levent went on to gain a doctorate degree at Bielefeld University in Germany.

Levent's short films and documentaries have been screened at various international film festivals where he has also served on juries. His work has seen him organise inter-cultural film workshops in several European cities. Currently Levent works as a producer and is the Director of Cultur and Art Initiative and the International Short Film Festival in Detmold, Germany and International Short Film Festival - Datça.

Cüneyt Cebenoyan

Juror

Cüneyt Cebenoyan was born in Ankara, Turkey. After finishing high school, he studied Economics at Bosphorus University in Istanbul. His involvement in cinema started at the university’s film club. This saw Cüneyt go on to participate in making short films and it also opened the path to his career as a film critic.

Cüneyt’s first critical piece appeared in Antrakt magazine in 1992. Since then he has worked with Roll, Express, Sinerama, Sinema, Empire, Altyazı and Milliyet Sanat. Currently he is the film critic for Birgün, a daily newspaper distributed nationally in Turkey. In addition he presents a weekly film review show on Açık Radyo. He has also acted in two films; Lifelong (dir. Aslı Özge, 2013) and Eye Am (dir. Hakkı Kurtuluş & Melik Saraçoğlu, 2013) and in the television series Çıplak Gerçek (Naked Truth).

Cüneyt is a member of FIPRESCI and NETPAC and has been on the jury for many film festivals.

Yonca Güzelpınar

Juror

Yonca Güzelpınar began her career in advertising before going on to become an assistant in television and cinema while studying Cinema and TV Studies at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. She went on to work as an assistant to influential director Yusuf Kurçenli and also served as the director of Sinema Vakfı (The Cinema Foundation) founded by directors such as Ömer Kavur and Atıf Yılmaz. After a period of directing and producing programmes and documentaries for the Turkish television channel TV8, Yonca turned freelance, directing the TV series Dadı for Med Productions. This was followed by several other TV series, including Belalı Baldız and Yalancı Romantik.

Dr. Alev Adil

Juror

Dr Alev Adil is Artist in Residence and Principal Lecturer at the University of Greenwich where she lectures in film studies and media poetics. Her academic publications include research into transnational cinema and literature, the poetics of memory and dreams. Alev has reviewed for The Independent, The Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, Philosophy of Photography Journal, Agenda and Modern Poetry in Translation. Her poetry has been translated into Albanian, Azeri, Greek, Lithuanian, Romanian and Turkish. Alev also curates http//www.MemoryMap.org.uk an online digital memory project and exhibition space for film, photography, writing and music.

Cengiz Biçer

Juror

Cengiz Biçer is the chief executive officer of Altınbaş Holding. He was born in Tokat in 1962. He graduated in Political Sciences from Istanbul University in 1983. Forging a career as a financial inspector, he started his career as an assistant auditor progressing to become a chief auditor. In 1995, he received an MA in Development Banking from the American University in Washington D.C.

In the same year, he was appointed the assistant general manager, later becoming the general manager at Sümerbank A.Ş. During this period, he also served as a member of the board of directors at Sümer Factoring and Sümer Leasing. Between 2003 and 2005, he served on the board at Faktotürk Factoring A.Ş. In 2000, Biçer was appointed to the board of director at Altınbaş Holding and now chairs its executive committee. In 2013, he joined the board at Creditwest Bank Cyprus. He is married with two children.

COUNTDOWN FOR FESTIVAL

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NEWS

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VENUES AND LOCATIONS

Screenings and other festival events will take place across the island. Confirmed locations include: Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta and the Nicosia Buffer Zone, at a variety of venues including Lemar Cinemas, Girne American University, Eastern Mediterranean University and the Goethe-Institut Zypern/Cyprus.

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